Bernard Law, a cardinal of scandal and disgrace

December 20, 2017

3 Min Read

In this Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2002, file photo, Cardinal Bernard Law, right, departs a news conference during the second day of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual meeting in Washington. Law, who recently had been hospitalized in Rome, died early Wednesday. Law stepped down under pressure in 2002 over his handling of clergy sex abuse cases. (AP Photo/Ken Lambert, File) (Caption amended by RNS)

(RNS) — Beginning his priestly life as a journalist, Bernard Law rose quickly up the ecclesiastical ladder only to come crashing down in scandal and disgrace. May God have mercy on his soul.

As editor of the Natchez-Jackson, Miss., diocesan newspaper in the 1960s, Father Law bravely supported the civil rights movement. He even had to hide in the trunk of a car when his life was threatened. He also spent time at the U.S. bishops’ conference in Washington, where as head of the office of ecumenism he worked on improving relations with Protestants and Jews.

As a result, by the time he became bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau in 1973, he had solid progressive credentials in both ecumenism and social justice. While in Missouri, he became friendly with the Bush family through George H.W. Bush’s brother, who had financial interests in the state.

In 1984, Law was promoted to archbishop of Boston, where he was the first archbishop to have attended Harvard University. His arrival was greeted with great hope.

He soon saw his role as a national and international leader. His connection to the Bush family proved invaluable and probably moderated his political views. He strongly supported the pro-life agenda of the pope and the American bishops, but not the consistent ethic of life espoused by Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

Even so, Law was not afraid to use his influence to support the policies of the bishops’ conference. One staff person reports he was well-briefed and effective when meeting with Cabinet secretaries. His phone call was also put through to Air Force One to complain when the Reagan administration attempted to classify ketchup as a vegetable in school lunches.

As a loyal supporter of John Paul II, Law also played an active role in the church as a cardinal. The Vatican used him in communicating with the Bush White House, especially prior to the pope’s historic visit to Cuba. In return, the Vatican often followed his recommendations for episcopal appointments in the U.S.

With this power and influence came a growing arrogance that demanded others, including bishops, defer to him. Rather than trying to persuade his fellow bishops, he did end runs around them by going to Rome to get his way. Bishops did not appreciate this and responded by voting him down for conference offices, including president.

But it was his failures in supervising the priests of Boston that brought him down. Whether through stupidity or arrogance, he failed to deal with the priests who abused children, including serial abusers. When the bishops privately discussed the issue, he encouraged stonewalling. He even passed on bad priests to other bishops without telling them of their abuse. His attempts to hide the truth made matters worse.

Cardinal Law’s life is a cautionary tale of what can happen to an ambitious cleric who loses sight of his duty to serve the people of God. His inability to respond compassionately to the pain and suffering of abuse survivors and their families was criminal. That many more bishops did not resign because of their failure to stop abusive priests is a scandal.

Pope Francis is right in identifying clericalism as a perennial sin in the church. The adoption of zero tolerance for abusive priests was long overdue. We also need zero tolerance for bishops who, like Law, fail to do their duty.

About the author

Thomas Reese

The Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit priest, is a Senior Analyst at RNS. Previously he was a columnist at the National Catholic Reporter (2015-17) and an associate editor (1978-85) and editor in chief (1998-2005) at America magazine. He was also a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University (1985-98 & 2006-15) where he wrote Archbishop, A Flock of Shepherds, and Inside the Vatican. Earlier he worked as a lobbyist for tax reform. He has a doctorate in political science from the University of California Berkeley. He entered the Jesuits in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1974 after receiving a M.Div from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.

One must also look at the fact that Law even in his exile to Rome did nothing to help victim/survivors. If he truly understood the grave sins he committed in what he did and did not do, he would have supported their efforts. He is the poster boy for clericalism, of what the Church has done that is evil all the while using the name of God and Jesus to “sanctify” what he and everyone else has done/did/does. The next question is what has the Church learned from all this, and will they be righteous in what they do.

“We also need zero tolerance for bishops who, like Law, fail to do their duty.” Indeed. Most of the auxiliaries who served under Law while he was enabling and covering up child abuse were then PROMOTED to run their own dioceses. The message of those promotions is very clear…

Let’s not overlook the so-called “clericalism of the laity”. It took “two to tango” during his time in Boston. Law needed a dancing partner, and that partner was the laity who believed that a “Successor of the Apostles”, “Persona Christi”, and “Prince of the Church” could do no wrong, not even when their own kids might have complained about clerical misbehavior.

Please understand that all of this clergy/laity junk is a sham. It is nowhere to be found in the New Testament church that Jesus is building.

All sincere Catholics and professing Christians who worship their pastor need to read: “The Monarchical Bishop” http://www.justforcatholics.org/a15.htm and understand that the ONLY exalted one in the body of Christ, is Jesus, everyone else is a part of the body. There aren’t levels. Levels are how innocent people and innocent children get deceived into inordinate respect for these evil clowns.

Law’s successor in Boston can’t get enough snuggling and glad-handing with pro-abortion politicians. He violates the USCCB’s own guidelines regarding giving honors to pro-aborts with regularity and zest.

Anyone who lumps Christianity in with Catholicism is unlearned or intentionally mischievous.

For everything genuine, that is of any value, there is a counterfeit. After all that Jesus has done for this world, it is so tragically sad that people are squandering it!

Americans used to understand better and appreciate their religious freedom. The real Christianity in the pages of the New Testament is beautiful and pure and glorious in every way! People do need each other and there is a real church that doesn’t look anything like Roman Catholicism, nor most of what is called “church” in the world today. And it is there for the taking in the New Testament! The church that Jesus is building has built in accountability! Take a look for yourself at how precious it is!

The RCC repeatedly cries these crocodile tears and says “we’ve solved the problem, no more coverups, we’re cracking down, we’re being tough, it can’t happen again”–and every time, it takes only a week or two for that to be revealed as a lie.

The latest is the way Law is being honored in death. How on earth does this “church” think anyone will afford it any credibility on anything it says?

AMEN! Preach it, brother! The bottom line is that Christianity–and especially Catholicism–are all about power and establishing control over the behavior and thoughts of those foolish enough to subscribe.

Sorry. I grew up in institutions. All of the predators were men. Homosexual, gay, sodomites. The other sodomites, those that were not predators did nothing, absolutely nothing to stop the gay predators.

It is a grave moral evil to allow gay men around defenseless boys or young men.

And effeminate men have always lacked teh courage to defend innocents.

The Roman Catholic heirarchy adn priesthood is overrun with gay or effeminite men.

Actually, Jesus was a bit “touched”. After all he thought he spoke to Satan, thought he changed water into wine, thought he raised Lazarus from the dead etc. In today’s world, said Jesus would be declared legally insane. Mark 3:20-21 “And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.”)

Or did P, M, M, L and J simply make him into a first century magic-man via their epistles and gospels of semi-fiction? Many contemporary NT experts after thorough analyses of all the scriptures go with the latter magic-man conclusion with J’s gospel being mostly fiction.

Obviously, today’s followers of Paul et al’s “magic-man” are also a bit on the odd side believing in all the Christian mumbo jumbo about bodies resurrecting, and exorcisms, and miracles, and “magic-man atonement, and infallible, old, European/Utah/Argentine white men, and 24/7 body/blood sacrifices followed by consumption of said sacrifices. Yummy!!!!

So why do we really care what a first century CE, illiterate, long-dead, preacher/magic man would do or say?

You are a lying bigot. But that has never stopped a single so called christian of your type.

I would say that given thesubject matter and your own admission, it would be a grave Moral evil to allow a Catholic priest around Children. But I wouldn’t say that, because I have known a number of priestS who were good, moral men.

Sodomy is a serious sin. A mortal sin. Objectively speaking a soul that dies with such a sin, unforgiven, will spend all eternity in Hell.

It is unnatural for a man to lust after another man. It is perverse to do so. Men who engage in unnatural and perverse practices are mentally ill. The mentally ill should not be allowed near innocent boys and young men. Such perverse men certainly should not be placed into positions of power over innocent boys and young men.

I noticed that during your long career as a Jesuit that the Jesuits were overrun with sexual predators. I also noticed that the Society of Jesus did not move Jesuits from parish to parish to protect them like Cardinal Law did but moved then from country to country. I further noticed that our Holy Father Francis, a Jesuit just like you, has a history of protecting predators. Indeed one predator (Msgr Ricca) who had been caught with a 14-year old boy was promoted to help run the Vatican bank.

So I was wondering since you were and are a big shot in the Jesuits if you ever knew of sexual predators in your society? Did you report them to the Church of secular authorities? Did you warn parents when the Jesuit sexual predators were placed near boys and young men?

Did you ever confront a Jesuit sexual predator and tell him to stop his evil ways?

IIRC there were far, far more predators in the Society of Jesus than in the Archdiocese of Boston under Cardinal Law.

Thank you for your reply. Cardinal Law was not the cause of the predatory priest crisis. It had been building since the end of WW II. Nor, compared to the gay friendly (and the author’s friend) Cardinal Roger Mahony of LA was Cardinal Law outstandingly negligent as a shepherd. He merely became the symbol of the great scandal.

Now he is dead. He has been judged. Just as you and I must and will be. His fate for all eternity has been decided. As our own eternities will and must be decided.

Having led a chaste life is not such a bad thing when faced by the living God on our Judgement Day.

“In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts” … Romans 1:27

What you are doing is excusing the perverse and unnatural acts of homosexual men, sometimes also known as gay men or sodomites; while allowing their molestation of innocent and defenseless boys and young men to go unchecked, condemned and unacknowledged.

As a boy in institutions I saw evil woman like you who empowered and protected the gay predators. You are, in a way, far more evil than the Cardinal Laws of the world.

” — Beginning his priestly life as a journalist, Bernard Law rose quickly up the ecclesiastical ladder only to come crashing down in scandal and disgrace. May God have mercy on his soul.”
– Fr. Thomas J. Reese

I have lived the past decade, as a priest and a theologian, in unfeigned appreciation and deep respect for Fr. Tom, the jinx-breaker and a personality I have come to regard as One-Radical-Voice for Good. I have not changed my opinion about Fr. Tom.

However, I am strongly convinced that there comes a moment when one has got to reach out to help a mentor or an elder come back to his senses and to realize that there are issues or events that cannot be ideologized. Whether this is done by issuing a rebuke or by presenting a note of disagreement, the truth remains that one must, in one way or another, pay a debt one owes to a friend or a mentor.

It is on this basis that I categorize this piece on late Cardinal Bernard Law by Fr. Tom Reese as “a Badge ? of Sadism”.

I am afraid Fr. Tom has allowed himself to be completely enslaved and ruled by the ideological war that has created a deep schism in the Church which is manifesting along the lines of Liberal Catholicism and Conservatism.

And that the Jesuits have chosen to lead the liberal bloc both at the Roman Curia and in the Local Churches bv hijacking and hiding behind the “Reform” slogan of Pope Francis in reaction to or as retaliation, perhaps, for the way Pope John Paul II/Razintger intruded into the almighty and powerful throne of the Black Pope (the Jesuit World Superior) to remove him and weaken his influence does not and cannot create all Catholics into Jesuits, what more co-opt all theological and ecclesiastical personalities into Sadistic Jesuits.

As the author of this article, Fr. Tom Reese goofed in his efforts to sell his personal hatred, bias and prejudice against such a towering and accomplished personality like Cardinal Bernard Law to thousands of RNS readers/fans from across the journalistic desk provided by RNS.

The two sentences in the first paragraph which I have transcribed here stinks with the venom that hides behind the smiles and sympathy of a sadist for a DEAD man whom, everyone at this sober moment would not to hesitate to say – with Pope Francis – “who am I to judge? “.

And I continue to wonder how Fr. Tom Reese, in his right senses and good judgment, allowed himself to be swallowed up and got himself advertised under this “Badge of Sadism”.

Surely, this is not our own respectable and fearless dearest Fr. Tom Reese. Or, is this really him?

1 Corinthians 6:9: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,”

And your argument about “sodoimy” is exactly what the gay predators put forth to distract from their evil deeds.

The act of sodomy is an unnatural and perverse one. In a just society those who practice it would be imprisoned. In our society sodomy is glorified as a high sacrament and the rape of innocent boys and young men by sodomites is winked at by their enablers.

I am ignorant!? But it was you, the great egghead, who posts “sodoimy”.

Look Sunshine. All those millions of innocent boys and young men you and your fellow sodomites have molested (and are molesting) have now grown up. It does not matter how many celebs, pols, eggheads and other perverts are willing to worship at your high altar of sodomy. You, by your evil acts , have created a vast Army which simply will neither forget nor trust; and also thirsts for justice.

Of course, virtually all posts here (or in similar venues) reveal info about the poster. In your case, you reveal an enormous amount: you keep hammering at my typo, yet you keep addressing me as *Ms”. Now, is that an example of your Christian respect for others at work?

And it’s interesting that you referred to me as “egghead”. Is that, too, an example of your following Jesus in respecting others? Not to mention, I have no idea where or why you came up with that term, since I certainly didn’t use it.

I notice, too, that you refer to my “evil acts”. I wonder where you got the idea that I’m engaging in “evil acts”, since I never said anything at all about my own behavior.

All in all, I think most folks here would agree that you are doing a pretty poor job of following the commands of Jesus. But that’s not at all surprising in a dogmatic bigot like you.

Finally, how much did Jesus say about sex, vs. other things like respecting others?]

Please keep posting, Richard. Your posts tell us an enormous amount about yourself and those who hold similar beliefs.

I wonder, just what was it I said, Richard, that led you to refer to me as an “egghead”?

Was it the fact that I (along with many others here) posted comments that contained thought. instead of gross distortions of the bible you love so much, and instead of the nutty, thought-less hatred that characterizes all your posts?

Law made mistakes — but he inherited the liberal diocesan staff and chancery of Mederios and Cushing. Those people are the ones who initiated and approved and cooperated in the priest-shuffling. NONE of them objected (except D’Arcy, who became bishop out in Indiana), so don’t try and blame this 100% on Law the conservative. It was the social justice liberals who are mostly at fault.

And ALL of the problem priests becamse active during the tenures of Mederios and Cushing, two appeasniks who did the liberal anti-Catholic elites bidding. Again, you won’t hear about that from Reese or the liberal media elite.

True, Lisa…..but they were the ones feeding the information to Law. And he didn’t hire them — they were inherited.

From who ? From Mederios and Cushing, two liberal ass-kissers who sold out Catholics whenever it was convenient to appease the Ted Kennedy crowd.

The USCC could have nipped this in the bud in the 1980’s. They didn’t. Why ? Because Mahoney and Hunthausen and Bernadin and the rest of the social justice crowd wanted to keep urinating on the faithful while promoting their leftist ideology.

I am pointing out that you are being hypocritical when you claim only gay men are sodomites.

It appears you were molested as a child and blame all gay men for that. I was molested as a child, should I blame all straight men for that?

You have been told, over and over and over, that males who prey on children take whomever they can get, boys or girls, most don’t have an adult sexuality at all, and those who do are predominantly straight.

“For the present discussion, the important point is that many child molesters cannot be meaningfully described as homosexuals, heterosexuals, or bisexuals (in the usual sense of those terms) because they are not really capable of a relationship with an adult man or woman. Instead of gender, their sexual attractions are based primarily on age. These individuals – who are often characterized as fixated – are attracted to children, not to men or women.”

From the psychology Department at UC Davis

But you choose to hold onto your mis-information, which drives your hatred of gay men in general, which they do not deserve. All your comments show you have a severe need for a psychiatrist, not a pastor.

Jesus, if he existed, would not be pleased with your lack of ability to forgive and move on. You hang on to your molestation as if it is your only identity. I am sorry you have not been able to heal your pain and move on with your life, and instead spend your efforts at equating a population that did not harm you, with one that did.

It’s wrong and cruel as well to call me an evil woman for defending pedophiles, when I have done no such thing, and have suffered as much, and perhaps more, than you by them. You have no idea who I am or what I do for my community and it’s children. How much time do you help elders? Volunteer with children? I get in at least 12 hours a week and I am 100% disabled.

Your god bless reads just like FU, so why not just say so? It’s dishonest, frankly, when you add it to a post in which you just called me an evil woman.

I truly hope you get some help, but I am blocking you, so I no longer need to read you prejudice and hatred packaged in sanctimonious God Bless endings that show no love or actual care that god blesses any LGBT people. In fact you imply all are worthless demons who do nothing but have sex all day every day, do nothing for any one else, and have no other aspects to their lives, like families, jobs, homes, pets, chores, aging parents for whom to care, rents, mortgages, taxes, activities if daily living, you know, real lives?

The John Jay Report found that 22 percent of the cases of abuse in America were with children under the age of ten, 51% were between the ages of 11 and 14, and 15 percent were aged 16 or older. 80% were abusing children of the same sex.

That means 73% were under the age of 14. Pubescent or younger. None under 16 were over the age of consent. None of the victims were adults.

To imply that because they were over 12 it’s turns from pedophilia to
homosexuality is sick. When a middle-aged man touches a teenager, it’s still statutory rape. When there is a power relationship between an older person and a much younger one, there can never be true consent. If
you fail to grasp that then you simply can’t understand what happened to them.

Dr. Margaret Smith categorically stated in a speech to the bishops that “we do not find a connection between homosexual identity and the increased likelihood of subsequent abuse from the data that we have right now.”

Of course, what they would have also got were distorted falsehoods
— which is where the whole problem starts in the first place. The
scandal isn’t that paedophiles targeted children in the church. That’s what paedophiles do.

The scandal is that these paedophiles were first enabled by and then had long careers of abuse because of deliberate ignorance about both homosexuality and paedophilia, a desire by antigay people to deliberately confuse the two, and criminally poor leadership and a desperate desire to hide the truth. Worldwide, and institutionalised.

Really? I missed the part where the catechism says to make assumptions,insult others, deliberately lie about gay people and priests who assault children. Perhaps you can point out where those ideas are in the catechism.

And just what was it about Kennedy that leads yoiu to call him a “dirtbag”?

I hope you don’t call yourself a Christian, since your comment is nothing like what a Christian would post.

Anyway, the point here is that the RCC, for all its pious lies about not protecting priests or others who protect them, is once again lying and ignoring its pious pronouncements about how it will deal with such folks.

Take a number, pal. The Catholic Church isn’t indifferent to child abuse, it just moves at the speed of molasses. It takes the Church DECADES to deal with dissidents, heretics, and other charlatans. Sadly, pedophiles get moves at the same rate.

So it’s not that the Catholic Church tolerates child abuse. It’s just that the Church isn’t equipeed to make decisions in days or weeks or months that instead take years or decades.

Kennedy was a left-wing sleazebag…..a two-faced liar….hid from Irish Catholics in South Boston rather than feel their wrath for his betrayal during the forced busing fiasco….Chappaquidick…..a shill for every left-wing cause from feminism, abortion, homosexuality, etc.

Since you are an atheist, why should your opinion on who is or is not a “Christian” amount to 2 cents ?

Hating or disapproving or not endorsing — take your pick — that which is incompatible with one’s beliefs is NOT hatred. If it was, then I guess from your POV all Democrats are guilty of hatred towards Republicans.

All Oakland Raider fans are guilty of hatred towards the San Diego (LA?) Chargers.

Aaaah, now I see. You’re saying that although it has made all these pious statements about how it’s dealing with child sexual abuse and pervert priests, no tolerance and so on, it’s gonna take decades before it actually puts its words into practice?

IIRC Cardinal Law, as the Archbishop of Boston,, for the first time in Boston history, did not come out and endorse a Kennedy for re-election. Edward Kennedy (RIP) had been quoted on the front page of the Boston Globe as endorsing women priests.

Cardinal Law had the audacity of publicly correcting Kennedy, a self-proclaimed Catholic, on the Catholic Church’s teaching on this matter.

In retaliation the Boston Globe rolled out its Spotlight Team to investigate gay predatory priests in the Boston Archdiocese molesting children.

The Boston Globe did not, however, mention that it had done puff pieces on at least two of the gay predatory priests and had ignored pleas for help from other victims.

Let us not forget that Cardinal Law functioned under the auspices of Pope John Paul II. Let us not forget that Cardinal Law was taken to Roman protection by Pope John Paul II. Let us not forget that Bernard Law was made arch-priest of St Mary Major during his protective stay against prosecution under the law while in Rome by Pope John Paul II. John Paul II is now declared to be in heaven, on the altar of the church. There’s an old song, “What’s it all about, Alfie?” The church never properly or fully answers any questions that will incriminate itself! Only one Catholic bishop in the United States has been found guilty of participation in the sinful, criminal, outrageous pedophilia and ephebophilia. That says nothing about regular sexuaL abuse of women by the holy, celibate clergy!

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts…

Scoffer: One who scoffs; one that mocks, derides or reproaches in the language of contempt; a scorner.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

“Today’s world” is insane. Yes, Jesus rebuked the devil and judging from your post, the devil speaks to and influences you as you so freely tear down Jesus and even take scripture out of context. Those are demonic behaviours.

he is an ignorant, vicious fool, a parody of a true Xian. Now that I (and you) have helped him reveal just what a horrible, totally illogical individual he is, there is no point in further engaging him, little more to be revealed about him and those of his ilk.

“Whether through stupidity or arrogance, he failed to deal with the priests who abused children, including serial abusers. When the bishops privately discussed the issue, he encouraged stonewalling. He even passed on bad priests to other bishops without telling them of their abuse. His attempts to hide the truth made matters worse.”

So this spotlight-grabbing pope officiated at the memorial service of a cardinal who destroyed the lives of children, and “passed bad priests on to other bishops without telling them of their abuse?”

To me this is evidence enough that this pope still isn’t serious about ridding his organization of the sexual abusers who have ruined the lives of countless children and youth. To me, he’s no spiritual leader at all. He’s a spotlight and headline grabbing politician who’s bent on receiving great acclaim for himself and not on ridding the Catholic Church of this ugly stain that’s lasted for several decades of its history.

I’m not a Catholic, but in my humble opinion a devout, highly spiritual DIVORCED woman or man who loves children and young people would do a better job of cleaning up this mess than this pope has done!

What you’ve described (and I agree) is precisely “clericalism of the laity”. A synonym is ‘enabling’. The laity must *take back* their leadership role in the Church of Rome. Examples: co-selection of parish pastors and local bishops and removals when necessary; oversight of church expenditures.

Not only that, but Cardinal Law also gets crucified because he was Holy Mother Church’s point man in the U.S. in the “crossing the Tiber” and integration as Catholic priests of a number of married Episcopal ministers – who converted after the Episcopal Church in the U.S. voted to ordain women as “priests.”

Cardinal Law also gets crucified by such people as Father Reese and Messrs. Allen and Ivereigh and their ilk because of his strong advocacy for the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – which St. John Paul II did, indeed, promulgate.

And finally, remember that Paul Shanley was ordained a priest in 1957, during Cardinal Cushing’s tenure as Archbishop of Boston – and was instrumental in the founding of NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association) in the mid-1970s, during Cardinal Medeiros’s tenure as Archbishop of Boston.

And also as soon as the Church’s seminaries do their due diligence and weed out sodomites from among the student body (and from the seminaries’ formation faculties, academic faculties, and administration).